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Australia’s Top Chefs Get Ready to #CookForSyria

Dinner for a difference

Counded by food editor and enigmatic Intagrammer
Clerkenwell Boy
(few know his real name), #CookForSyria is the “supper-club that became a global movement.”

The fundraising campaign started in London last year attracting support from top British chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Yottam Ottolenghi. Through, dinners, supper-clubs, bake sales and donations the project raised £210,000 pounds (AU$350,000).

“We will also increase awareness of the plight of children in the war-torn country. Through cooking, sharing recipes and the power of social media, we invite everyone to help make a difference and positive contribution towards this important initiative,” Clerkenwell Boy has said.

This is the first time the #CookForSyria project will be hitting Australian shores, with chefs, restaurants, cafes and bakeries around Australia invited to participate in the month long project. Participants are asked to put a Syrian twist on a signature dish and donate $3 from every dish sold to UNICEF’s Syrian Crisis Appeal. Five years of conflict make this the largest humanitarian crisis we’ve seen since World War II. UNICEF are working to assist the 8.4 children in need of emergency aid.

Sharon and Carol Salloum are sisters from Syria and opened Sydney’s Middle-Eastern restaurant Almond Bar. The project is close to their hearts as most of their family remain in Syria and they have been unable to visit.

The sisters will be joining some of Sydney’s best chefs such as Kylie Kwong, David Thompson, Peter Gilmore and Mitch Orr for the first #CookForSyria dinner, kicking off in Sydney on 27 February. ““It’s pretty amazing to see the big names who have come together for this,” Sharon Salloum told Delicious magazine.

Those unable to participate have donated to an auction that will be held on the night. Others who have volunteered to give up their time and talents for the event include winemakers, front of house staff and farmers.

A post shared by CookForSyria (@cookforsyria) on Feb 10, 2017 at 12:12am PST

It’s fantastic to see the hospitality industry getting behind such a good cause. Details of the Sydney gala dinner are available through the venue, Three Blue Ducks. Donations can be made at unicef.org.au/cookforsyria The #CookForSyria recipe book is available for sale. The UK version was so popular it sold out and had to have a re-run. Fingers crossed for an Australian cookbook.